Life Without Lily
by Chatterboxgirl
Summary: An AU, about what might have happened if James HADN'T died the night Voldemort came. Rated PG for minor violence. Please R&R.
1. The First Attack

**A/N: This is a story focusing on an interesting idea: What is James had survived the night Voldemort tried to kill him? I got the idea from a story ShOrTnSwEeT9013 wrote called "Lily, My Love"**

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing here if I owned Harry Potter, now would I?   


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James smiled as he watched Lily and Harry play. Harry, who was already a year old, was enjoying playing with his mini model of a "boom-tik", as Harry called it. Meanwhile, Lily was levitating several small hoops for him to fly the broom through, praising him with each conquest. James walked over and sat down next to Harry, who couldn't wait to show his father what he was doing. "Ook, addy! Ook!" He smiled a toothless grin, pushing on the back of the broom so that it scooted through the hoop.

"I'm telling you, Lily, he's going to be a GREAT quiddicth player, just like his father!" Lily rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly on the cheek. "Oh, you.." While Harry was preoccupied with the broom, she leaned over to give her husband a quick kiss. James grinned. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" Lily smiled as Harry looked up enthusiastically. "Luv u! Luv u!" James laughed. "Alright, that I love the both of you?" Lily smiled. "Nah.. Just twice today." This time it was James's turn to smack her lightly on the cheek.

Just then, there was a resounding knock at the door. Puzzled, James crossed to the peephole, and looked out. "Now who could that be?" he muttered, trying to see. Suddenly, it all became clear to him. "Lily!" he yelled. "Grab Harry and run upstairs! It's Voldemort! I'll try to hold him off!" As he yelled, he slowly backed up, wand out. In the middle of his instructions, the door burst open. James continued to yell to his wife, but soon stopped, needing to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Give up, Potter.. Thrice you have defied me.. I will not let you escape again." Voldemort moved forward swiftly. James cast an eye at the stairs. "No! LILY!" he cried, just as a curse caught him in the chest, and everything went black.

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**A/N: What do you think? Review so I have a motive to update :) **


	2. Aftermath: Part 1

**Author's Note: This chapter is actually the first part of one chapter. This and the next chapter worked better as seperate chapters, but they are still tied together. So, enjoy this next chapter!**

Disclaimer: If I didn't desperatly want to read books six and seven, I would kill J.K. Rowling and take all the copyrights for Harry Potter, but I can't....

Aftermath, part one  
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_"Enervate."_

James opened his eyes, blinking several times to clear them. Slowly he made out the form above him. "Sirius." Suddenly, the night's event came rushing back to him. "Sirius!" However, for one of the first times in his life, Sirius cut him off.

"James. Where are Harry and Lily?" James stared dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly started to think. "Oh no.. LILY!" Quickly, he rushed to his feet, running straight up the stairs, Sirius right behind him. As he turned the corner, he slowed down, looking at his wifes body laying limp on the floor in front of him. Slowly he fell to his knees, grabbing her hand. "Is there any chance.." A single tear fell from his eye as Sirius sadly shook his head. "I.. I'm sorry, James.. I don't know what to say." Gently, James scooped Lily's limp form into his arms, carefully brushing the few locks of hair away from her eyes. He didn't bother to hide the tears that fell from his eyes, for the only one here who would see was Sirius. As the tears fell openly, James thought back on the years they had together, and it was almost as if he had Lily back with him, laying in his arms, just resting. It was as if he could hear her voice...

_"James? Oh, James, dont cry.."_

"Lily?"

_"Oh James.. Please don't cry.."_

"Lily, where are you?"

_"James, please, listen to me. I know it's hard for you right now, but you need to let go.. at least for now. Right now there are things to do.."_

"Lils, I don't understand.."

_"You won't, James, at least, not yet.. James, remember: I will always be in your heart."_

"Lily? Please don't go!"

Finally, James realized she was gone.. Crying wouldn't bring her back. He opened his eyes slowly, casting one last look over Lily's face before setting her down lovingly. He looked up at Sirius, who had such a look of compassion in his eyes that James felt he could start crying again. It was at times like this that he wished that Sirius didn't resemble a dog so much. Slowly, he looked around the room. "Well," he finaly said, "I suppose we should find.." He choked over the words, but then continued after a moment. "I guess we should find Harry, and then leave.. I'm sure it's not safe to stay." With a grave nod, Sirius gave James a pat on the back, for with his last words, one final tear dropped silently from his eye. 

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Continued in the next Chapter..**


	3. Aftermath: Part 2

**Part Two**

With a forlorn sigh, James slowly began searching throughout the room, wondering why Lily hadn't been holding Harry. As he searched, questions poured through his head. _Why didn't Voldemort kill me?_ was the main question, though many other circulated in there as well. Things like _Why would Peter tell?_ and _What can I do?_

Finally he stopped, puzzled. "Sirius.." he said, questioningly. As Sirius walked over, he pointed to a spot right in front of him. "Harry's crib used to be right here. But it's not anymore." He looked over at Sirius. "We need to find that crib." They didn't search long before they came across a closet, closed.

As James reached for the doorknob, he was sure he heard a wail, which he sadly tried to shake from his head. When he couldn't, his eyes grew wide, and he quickly whipped open the doors. Disappointed, he saw only the crib, but then...

Harry's panicked cries peirced the air now that the heavy wooden doors had been opened, and James rushed forward to comfort his son. Confused as he was, he couldn't deny that the sight of his only son, alive and well, was a great comfort to him.

"Harry, Harry, it's ok.. Daddy's here.. Shhh, it's ok.." He turned to Sirius, who he was sure was close to being a mirror of himself: eyes open wide in shock and puzzlement, yet full of joy and relief. Finally, Harry's cries subdued enough for James to be able to talk to Sirius. "We need to get to Dumbledore. Use Perthion to send him a letter." He paused for a moment to think. "Tell him we'll meet him at your house." He jumped when a crack rang through the house, startling Harry back into tears. "No need, James, for it would be pointless to send your owl 2 feet." And James smiled as he looked into the eyes of the one man he needed to talk to most: Albus Dumbledore.

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**So, what did you think? Sorry it took so long to get these out, I hope that it was worth the wait, however. I have great things planned for the next couple of chapters, but it'll take those reviews to motivate me!**


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